*In Mexico, candidate Claudia Sheinbaum held her campaign closing ceremony.
*Ballot counting underway in South Africa.
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*Ballot counting underway in South Africa.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 The government of Algeria requested
00:14 before the Security Council of the United Nations organization
00:17 to halt the military offensive in the city of Rafa.
00:20 In Mexico, the presidential candidate of the coalition
00:25 Let's Keep Making History, Claudia Sheinbaum,
00:28 held her campaign closing ceremony
00:30 in the Zocalo, Mexico City.
00:32 And in South Africa, ballots are counted in Johannesburg
00:37 after polling stations closed in South Africa's general election.
00:41 Hello and welcome to From the South.
00:48 I'm Alejandra Garcia from Telesur Studios in Havana, Cuba.
00:51 We begin with the news.
00:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:57 In Palestine, citizens evacuate southern Gaza Strip
01:12 due to the risk of new airstrikes
01:14 by the Zionist regime.
01:16 According to local media, the Gaza people
01:18 dismantled the refugee camps located
01:20 in supposedly safe areas, such as Mawassi, Rafah,
01:23 and Kanjani, in the face of the constant Israeli bombardment.
01:27 Also, men and women from the Gaza Strip
01:29 have assured that most of the victims of the Israeli
01:32 airstrikes have been women and children who
01:34 were inside the tents at the time of the bombings.
01:38 It should be noted that in the last week,
01:40 Tel Aviv has killed at least 100 Palestinians,
01:43 in addition to several babies, amidst attacks
01:45 on the facilities of the United Nations Refugee
01:48 Agency in the Gaza Strip.
01:50 [AUDIO OUT]
01:54 For more details on this topic, let's
01:56 watch the following report by our correspondent, Huda Hegazi.
02:00 I'm just here in the northwest of the Rafah governorates,
02:05 at the south of the Gaza Strip, in the refugee camp
02:09 that last night was bombed by the Israeli occupation
02:12 army in the area of Mawassi in Rafah.
02:15 As you can see to our backs, this encampment
02:18 that was bombed by more than two missiles
02:21 by the Israeli occupation army, causing
02:24 the death of more than 21 Gazans and the injury of about 10
02:30 of them.
02:31 As you can see by their screams, the rest of them
02:34 is destroyed caused by this humongous moment, this tent.
02:41 As you may see, everything is completely destroyed.
02:45 Everything is completely burned.
02:47 And we have to say that this is not the first bomb
02:50 bomb that the Israeli occupation army has launched
02:53 to the refugee camps in the Al Mawassi area of Rafah,
02:57 but it's the third one in consecutive
03:00 in less than 48 hours, causing the death of more than 72
03:04 Gazans, more than half of them children and women.
03:09 On top of that, babies.
03:11 As you may see, everything was destroyed.
03:14 And despite that, this area, the Israeli occupation army
03:19 was assured that this was a safe area.
03:21 And they assured to the Gazans that after the evacuation,
03:26 it will be safe.
03:28 But as we are seeing through a screen,
03:30 these allegations are false.
03:31 And this place that supposedly was going to be a safe place
03:35 is object of the--
03:37 and target to the bomb bombers.
03:38 Now we're going to speak with one
03:40 of the eyewitness of the bomb bombers
03:43 to see what happened.
03:45 Tell us what happened during the bombing.
03:47 When the first attack happened very close to us, most of us
03:55 went out to see what happened.
03:57 I mean, here we are a group of my family
03:59 that is in seven or eight tents.
04:01 When we all went out to see what happened after the first attack,
04:04 there was a second attack.
04:06 And people shouted at us, saying that the heat fell in our area.
04:10 I came immediately and found that 18 mothers had fallen.
04:13 I tried to look if in the bodies there
04:15 was someone still with breath to rescue him so that he
04:18 could survive.
04:20 But it was in vain.
04:21 We were hit by a missile that left
04:23 shrapnel all over the place.
04:26 This eyewitness has assured to us
04:28 this area was bombed by two missiles, one to another,
04:34 not even five minutes apart.
04:36 And he has assured that all the victims were dead
04:39 in the same instant of the bombing due to the shrapnel
04:43 of this missile attacking directly.
04:47 And at this moment, these gays don't
04:50 know where to go because every single place that Israel has
04:54 assured that it's a safe place is a target of a bombing.
04:58 And whatsoever, at this moment, they're
05:01 trying to disinstall the tents to find a safe place
05:04 to evacuate.
05:06 But they assure that there is no safe place left.
05:10 The government of Algeria requested before the Security
05:13 Council of the United Nations organization
05:15 to halt the military offensive in the city of Rafah.
05:18 The Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, Ahmad Benjama,
05:21 presented a motion for a resolution
05:23 for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
05:25 He also called for the release of all the hostages
05:28 captured since the escalation of the Israeli siege
05:30 on October 7, 2023.
05:32 In this regard, Benjama condemned
05:34 the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, women, and children,
05:38 as well as civilian infrastructure.
05:40 The original sin of all this suffering
05:52 is the occupation that continues,
05:54 the oppression that keeps on treating the symptoms
05:57 without treating the causes, which
05:59 is the occupation of the Palestinian land,
06:01 of the Palestinian territory.
06:03 It will not lead to a lasting peace.
06:05 The suffering of the Palestinian people
06:07 began with the occupation and will come to an end
06:10 when the occupation ends.
06:12 In that sense, the Security Council
06:13 has the greatest responsibility and must fully
06:16 implement its own resolutions.
06:18 China's ambassador to the United Nations Security Council,
06:24 Fu Kong, said that Israel attacks on Gaza
06:27 aggravate the humanitarian crisis.
06:32 Allowing the fighting to continue
06:33 will only deepen the humanitarian catastrophe
06:35 and plunge the entire region into greater turmoil.
06:38 The international community, the Security Council
06:40 in particular, must take further steps
06:42 to promote an immediate ceasefire, save lives,
06:45 and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
06:48 In this context, the Secretary General
06:53 of the United Nations Organization,
06:55 Antonio Guterres, condemned as an unprecedented event
06:58 the destruction of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
07:01 The United Nations official described as unacceptable
07:04 the Tel Aviv genocide against the Palestinian population,
07:07 which has resulted in countless civilian deaths
07:10 and the destruction of their homes.
07:12 The United Nations Secretary General
07:15 also called on Israel to respect the decisions
07:18 of the International Court of Justice,
07:20 which forced it to stop its military operations
07:22 in the city of Rafa.
07:24 In the last week, Tel Aviv has killed
07:26 at least 100 Palestinians, mostly women and children,
07:29 amid airstrikes targeting refugee camps in the Gaza Strip.
07:33 Let's take a short break, but remember you can join us
07:40 on TikTok @TelassieLinglish, where you will find news
07:42 in different formats, news updates, and more.
07:44 Obviously, it's coming up, stay with us.
07:46 Welcome back.
07:56 The electoral power of Venezuela rejected
07:59 the interfering attitude of the European Union
08:01 in the upcoming elections of July 28th
08:03 and ratified the sovereignty and self-determination
08:06 of the people to decide their destiny
08:08 without foreign intervention.
08:10 The president of the National Electoral Council,
08:12 Elvis Amoroso, referred to a statement issued
08:14 by the European Union in which he affirmed
08:17 that considerations are of exclusive competence
08:19 of the Venezuelans.
08:21 Amoroso denounced this as a new act of interference
08:24 while reiterating that no foreign organization
08:27 has the competence to decide on the electoral oversight
08:30 program of Venezuela.
08:32 In this sense, he assured that the decisions
08:34 made within the National Electoral Council
08:36 are made in the exercise of sovereignty.
08:38 The decisions taken within the National Electoral Council
08:49 are made in the exercise of sovereignty,
08:51 and in the particular case of revoking the invitation
08:53 to the European Union, respond to the hostile
08:56 and disrespectful attitude of this bloc
08:58 against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
09:00 The European Union has behaved as a biased
09:02 and aggressive actor, which infringes national dignity
09:05 and additionally becomes a factor of interference
09:08 in the electoral processes, maintaining the illegal
09:11 and the illegitimate implementation of coercive,
09:13 unilateral and genocidal measures with the sole objective
09:16 of causing damage to the Venezuelan population.
09:19 The president of the National Electoral Council,
09:24 Elvis Amoroso, affirmed that the revocation
09:27 of the invitation extended to the European Union
09:29 to accompany the Venezuelan elections
09:31 responds to a sovereign action and is due to the imposition
09:35 of sanctions by the European bloc against Venezuela.
09:37 The electoral power of the Bolivarian Republic
09:43 of Venezuela, a free, sovereign and independent nation,
09:47 repudiates the unusual communique of the European Union
09:50 in which it issues considerations
09:52 that are of exclusive competence of the Venezuelan people,
09:55 turning the European Union into a new act of interference
09:58 that pretends to meddle in the decisions
10:00 of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council.
10:03 We don't accept it.
10:05 No foreign organisation has the authority to decide
10:07 on the electoral oversight programme of Venezuela.
10:10 Also in Venezuela, the people mobilise in support
10:16 of President Nicolás Maduro and to demand
10:18 the US government to lift the sanctions
10:20 it maintains against the country.
10:22 On Wednesday, citizens marched through the streets
10:24 of the state of La Guaira, along with the first vice-president
10:28 of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello.
10:32 The mobilised people reiterated once again
10:35 their unconditional support to the Bolivarian revolution
10:38 and their commitment with sovereignty,
10:40 as well as their support to the candidacy of President Maduro
10:43 for the elections of July 28th.
10:45 Citizens also affirmed that they will continue
10:48 to support the government in the elections of July 28th.
10:51 Opposition deputies are trying to reinstate by means of a bill
11:00 the National T-shirt Incentive Fund,
11:02 repealed by President Javier Milley,
11:04 key for the provincial salaries of educators.
11:06 From Buenos Aires, our correspondent Juan Carlos Bartolotta
11:09 with the details.
11:11 Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved
11:17 a joint motion of the leftist union for the homeland
11:20 and the centrist radical civic union blocs
11:22 for the re-establishment of the teachers' fund FONED.
11:25 The proposal obtained 152 votes in favour and 81 rejections
11:30 and on Tuesday it was debated in commissions.
11:32 If it is for the will of union for the homeland,
11:37 when we convened the initial special session, back in March,
11:40 then the special session for university financing, FONED,
11:43 the National Fund for Teacher Incentive
11:46 was always on the agenda and now,
11:48 after the last session convened by the radicalism,
11:51 it was decided that today there had to be an opinion
11:54 on teachers' salaries.
11:56 Deputies of different opposing trends
11:59 were debating in deputies,
12:01 before the rejection of the ruling party,
12:03 an opinion that enables the treatment of the issue
12:05 in the lower chamber.
12:07 We have a proposal to turn it into a permanent fund
12:11 and that at the same time it should be remunerative
12:14 and this would allow retirees to receive it as well.
12:17 To overcome the limits that this fund had until now
12:20 and also in our project we include a mechanism
12:23 so that the minimum salary of the witness position
12:25 in each of the jurisdictions is not less than the total basic basket,
12:29 because the reality today is that most of the teachers' salaries
12:32 are well below the poverty line.
12:34 On Tuesday, teachers of all levels,
12:37 grouped in the main unions,
12:39 mobilized to Congress to demand the restoration
12:42 of the teachers' incentive fund.
12:44 We are here to demand that the education and budget commissions,
12:48 which are to meet on this day,
12:50 issue a favorable opinion for the treatment of a law
12:53 to reinstate the FONED,
12:55 an additional salary for teachers at all levels,
12:58 also in universities, in pre-university levels,
13:01 in schools and colleges of public universities.
13:04 The suppression of FONED has also meant
13:07 a very important salary cut and FONED is a historical conquest
13:10 of the education workers and it is essential
13:13 that it can be recovered.
13:15 The FONED, the teachers' fund that part of the opposition
13:19 is pushing to reinstate,
13:21 is an economic bonus created in 1998
13:24 for the national executive to transfer it to the provinces
13:27 and thus improve the salaries of teachers,
13:29 representing between 10% and 15% of their salaries.
13:33 The fund was extended by decree at the beginning of 2022
13:38 with a two-year extension and when it expired,
13:41 President Javier Mollet left it without effect.
13:44 One of the main achievements of the administration
13:52 of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
13:55 is the reduction of poverty.
13:57 Data recorded by government institutions
13:59 and independent research confirms this.
14:01 How has this been achieved?
14:03 Our correspondent Daniel Rosas tells us.
14:06 The administration of President López Obrador
14:09 promoted the distribution of social programs
14:11 which were useful to contain poverty,
14:13 especially during the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
14:16 If there had not been this income given to the respondents,
14:23 the increase would not have been two but four percentage points in 2020.
14:27 One might think that the decrease in poverty in Mexico
14:31 is a rebound after the period,
14:33 but the results from the National Council for the Evaluation
14:36 of Social Development Policy show that there are better results
14:39 when compared to 2018.
14:41 The percentage in percentage point of the total
14:46 of what the poverty level filled from 2020 to 2021
14:51 and the seven percentage point can be referenced
14:54 to that weight of the income declaration by social programs
14:56 which people stated.
14:58 The government knows that this is one of its greatest achievements
15:01 and shows it.
15:05 This support we are receiving is for US to help each other.
15:08 IAEM sick. We are not here to walk in the field.
15:11 IAEM diabetic.
15:13 Another factor that had an impact on poverty reduction
15:18 was the increase in the minimum wage.
15:20 Between 2023 and 2024 alone, it was increased by 20%.
15:24 The most important thing is the reduction of poverty and inequality.
15:31 We have not seen an achievement like this
15:34 for 30 or 40 years.
15:36 According to the Mexican president, this leads to a more important consequence,
15:41 the reduction of inequality.
15:43 But the most important thing of all is that poverty has been reduced,
15:50 that it has gone well for those at the bottom,
15:53 it has gone well for everyone, but better, proportionally, for the poor.
15:57 Of the six factors that are measured in Mexico
16:00 to determine the level of poverty,
16:02 the current administration shows setbacks in only two,
16:05 educational backwardness and access to health services.
16:08 The lack of access to social security went from 54.1% in 2018
16:13 to 50.2% in 2022.
16:16 The lack of nutritious and quality food went from 21.9% to 18.2%.
16:22 The lack of quality and space in housing decreased from 12% to 9.1%.
16:28 And the lack of basic housing services decreased from 19.2% to 17.8%.
16:33 Daniel Rosas, Telesur, Ciudad de Mexico.
16:36 In Mexico, the presidential candidate of the coalition
16:51 "Let's Keep Making History", Claudia Sheinbaum,
16:53 held her campaign closing ceremony in the Zócalo, Mexico City,
16:57 where dozens of citizens participated in support of her candidacy.
17:01 The event had the massive participation of thousands of citizens
17:04 who expressed their support for Sheinbaum.
17:06 During the event, the presidential candidate called on the Mexican people
17:10 to participate massively in the upcoming presidential elections on Sunday, June 2.
17:16 She also confirmed her commitment to the state to uphold her principles of humanism.
17:21 In addition, Claudia Sheinbaum assured that in these presidential elections
17:25 there will be again a historic victory against liberalism.
17:30 In South Africa, ballots are counted in Johannesburg
17:38 after polling stations closed in South Africa's general election.
17:41 More than 27 million voters were registered for the most uncertain poll
17:46 since the African National Congress let the nation out of the upper-eighth rule.
17:50 But with voting delayed, in many districts some were forced to wait.
17:55 With opposition challenges from both the right and the left wing,
17:59 unemployment and crime at near-record levels,
18:02 and a new generation growing up with no memory of the struggle against white minority rule,
18:07 the ruling party may lose its absolute majority and be forced to share power.
18:13 What do you think about the current situation in the country?
18:16 It's difficult to call until you complete the counting process.
18:24 Suffice to say, it will probably be well beyond what we had, the 66% we had in 2019.
18:36 We have a final short break coming up,
18:38 but before we invite you to join our WhatsApp community for our English speaking audience,
18:42 you can scan the QR code on screen to join directly and share the link to reach more people.
18:47 Constant news coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the rest of the world.
18:51 Stay connected and informed with Telesur. Final short break, don't go away.
18:55 Welcome back to From the South.
19:06 The Russian government denounced Ukraine for suspending the exchange of prisoners for several months.
19:11 The Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Moskalkova,
19:15 stated that CAIF authorities have set requirements that make the exchange of hostages impossible.
19:20 She asserted that the claims do not comply with the previous Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian norms.
19:27 In this regard, Moskalkova reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to dialogue in search of solutions
19:33 for the resumption of the exchange of prisoners.
19:36 Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced an aid package to benefit families affected by the floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
20:01 Among the actions to support the population are new lines for financing for businesses,
20:07 an expansion of rural credit and a new line of credit to finance studies and projects in the state.
20:12 The new lines of financing for companies announced will use resources from a social fund of more than $3 million in support of the business sector.
20:22 Likewise, it is estimated that the funds approved for financing studies will reach $2 billion.
20:28 While the rural subsidy exceeds $115 million.
20:34 In this context, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development will operate three lines of credit,
20:44 including the purchase of machinery, equipment and services.
20:48 The base cost will be 1% per year payable in a term of up to 60 months with a grace period of 12 months.
20:56 The grace period for civil construction companies will be 24 months and they will be able to pay up to 120 months.
21:04 Meanwhile, the emergency working capital with 4 percentage points of the base cost seeks to benefit small and medium companies.
21:13 The government had previously announced measures to ease the situation of families and workers affected by the rains and floods in Rio Grande do Sul.
21:25 In that sense, a financial aid of $980 was approved for needy families and more than 21,000 families in that state were included in the fee so-called Bolsa Familia program.
21:38 It also established the retirement for calamity in the warranty fund to be based on time of service,
21:45 from which workers may withdraw up to $1,195 from their accounts.
21:51 Likewise, the real estate quotas in the affected areas were suspended for a period of six months.
21:57 We have come to the end of this news brief, but you can find this and many other stories on our website at www.telesurenglish.net
22:07 and join us on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
22:11 For TELESURINGUISH, I'm Alejandra Garcia. Thank you for watching.
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22:20 (upbeat music)
22:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]